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Burton Dodson incident
After fighting with a white man over their romantic feelings toward a white woman, Burton Dodson and his family were surrounded in the early morning hours by sherriff's deputies lead by Fayette County Sherriff, W.H. Cocke. Dodson refused to surrender, and the deputies began firing on the home. Dodson returned fire and fled the scene; a bullet grazed his son's head. A white man was shot and killed during the incident. -
Executive Order 9981
Harry Truman signs an executive order mandating equality and fair treatment for all members of the armed forces. -
Malcolm X
Malcolm X becomes a leader for the Nation of Islam. He would advocate the use of any means necessary to procur equal rights for black citizens. In 1965, following a trip to the middle east, Malcolm departed with the NOI and began to advocate cooperation between the races. This sparked anger in the NOI, who made several attempts on his life. They assassinated him in February of 1965. -
Brown v. Board
Brown v. Board rules school segregation unconstitutional, overturning the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson. -
Emmett Till
Fourteen year old, Emmett Till, is brutally murdered in Mississippi after alledgedly whistling at a white woman. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white man, beginning the Montgomery bus boycott. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is founded by Martin Luther King, Charles K. Steele, and Fred L. Shuttlesworth. The organization was a key leadership group during the Civil Right Movement and advocated for a non-violence approach to fighting injustice. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 is enacted. Its primary goal was to protect black citizens from disenfranchizement. It created a Civil Rights Comission to investigate voting problems and gave the Justice Department jurisdiction to counter irregularities in federal elections. -
Central High School
After Arkansas's governor deployed the national guard to prevent nine black students from attending Central High School in Little Rock, President Eisenhower sent federal troops to escort the students into the school. This was the first military action taken by the U.S. government on behalf of civil rights since Reconstruction. -
Burton Dodson Trial
In September of 1958, authorities found Burton Dodson living in St. Louis. At 78 years old, he was extradited to Fayette County to stand trial for second degree murder. Prominent African-American attorney, J.F. Estes represented Dodson. He was convicted despite stark evidence that he could not have shot the deputy. However, the trial sparked interest with the black citizens to register to vote and serve on juries. -
Fyette County Civic and Welfare League
Estes filed paperwork to incorporate the Fayette and Haywood County Civic and Welfare Leagues. While the Haywood County League faded out pretty early on, The Original Fayette County Civic and Welfare League effectively fought racial injustice for decades. Around this time, Jameson and McFerren travelled to D.C. to demand government action against the disenfranchizing of black citizens in Fayette and Haywood Counties. -
Trying to Register
In June and July of 1959, black citizens lined up in Fayette County, trying to register to vote. This was the bginning of a registration drive that would turn the county upside down. -
Democratic Primary
Black voters were blocked from voting in the Fayette County Democratic Primary. White party officials claimed that primary elections were not covered under the Civil Rights Act of 1957, and that the party had the right to deny any citizen, for any reason, the ability to vote in the party's primary. -
Law Suit
A lawsuit is filed against the Fayette County Democratic Executive Committee because it had refused to let black citizens vote in its primary. This was the furst such suit filed under The Civil Rights Act of 1957. This led to the resignation of Fayette County and Haywood County election officials, hoping to stall the electoral process and prevent black citizens from registering. -
Sit-in in Greensboro
Black students in North Carolina hold a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are refused service but allowed to remain sitting at the counter. This was the beginning of a movement that spread across much of the South, protesting the denial of equal accomodations. -
Blacklist
The white citizen's council in Fayette County compiled a list of registered black citizens in the county. They gave this list out to the white business owners in the county and demanded that they not sale goods or provide services to the individuals on the list. This sparked the reverse boycott that resulted in many people being evicted from their homes, left with no options but to live in tents. Black citizens were unable to obtain basic necessities, including gasoline and food. -
SNCC
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee is founded at Shaw University. The group would be a leading power for civil rights, leading sit-ins and demonstrations across the South and providing finding for civil rights workers. -
Voting Registration
The federal government is finally able to end the boycott by election officials in Fayette County, and voter registration begins again. Registration only opened on Wednesdays, and black citizens would have to stand in line for hours in the heat in order to vote, while white citizens were able to show up, register, and leave in a matter of minutes. Also, court officials would throw hot coffee or spit on them. At this point, only 1,000 of the 9,000 voting age adults had registered to vote. -
Freedom Riders
Student volunteers begin taking bus and train rides, testing new laws that prohibited segregation in interstate travel facilities. The Freedom Riders faced a good deal of retaliation and violence. -
Civil Rights Act of 1960
The Civil Rights Act of 1960 was enacted, giving the Justice Department powers to inspect local voter registration polls and to apply penalities to any who obstructed another person's ability to vote. -
National Attention
Ted Poston wrote an expose on Fayette County in "The New York Post", bringing the local movement national attention. -
End of Gas Boycott
After pressure from the NAACP, Gulf, Esso, Texaco, and Amoco oil companies broke the fuel and gas embargo to black citizens in the county. This had been a huge hardship for the peopleof the county who relied on the fuel to run, not only their cars, but also their farm equipment. John McFerren had been trying to procur gasoline for his store. The only person who was willing to provide him with gasoline was threatened by the Sherriff. -
Tent City
Eight black families are forced off land owned by Ellis Watkins, Bynum Leatherwood, and Mrs. Henry McNamee. Shepherd Towles let his land be used to house a Tent City for these individuals. An anonymous white business owner donated the tents. A second Tent City was later created on the land of Gertrude Beasley. -
Republican County
John Doar of the Department of Justice, supported the fight to vote in Fayette County.The black citizens who had registered turned the county Republican for the first time since Reconstruction. However, little difference is made in the election, owing partly to voting irregularities at polling stations. -
Injuntion
The Department of Justice filed suit seeking an injuntion to prevent sharecroppers from being evicted for registering to vote. Judge Marion Boyd issued the injunction, but citizens in the counties were disappointed with how little help the injuntion actually provided. -
Early B. Williams
Early B. Williams was shot in the tent he had been living in with his wife and children. No one ever faced criminal action for the crime that almost killed Williams and his infant. -
Aid
The Red Cross refused to provide supplies and emergency aid to Fayette County black citizens, claiming that the aid was not needed. However, a few other organization, including the AFL-CIO, UAW, and the Teamsters, stepped in to provide aid. -
Freedom Farm
The National Baptist Convention purchased land in Fayette county to be used as housing a farm land for evicted sharecroppers. It was named Freedom Farm. -
League Split
Problems arose between John McFerren and Scott Franklin over the management of the League. Estes supported Franklin and claimed McFerren was operating illegally. The two groups split, and McFerren's organization was chartered as The Original Fayette County Civic and Welfare League. The Original League became the predominant group and fought for civil rights within the county for several decades. -
Surplus Food
President Kennedy authorized the sending of surplus food to Fayette County to help the citizens. The Fayette County Civic and Welfare League wrote letters of gratitude to President Kennedy for his help. -
Student Aid
Northern, white students, many from Oberlin College, descended into Fayette County to witness the problems facing black citizens and to help wherever possible. -
End of the Suits
A consent decree ended the law suits for both counties and permanently enjoined the defendants from prohibiting voter activity. However, many of these individuals used mechanization as an excuse and evicted registered sharecroppers anyway. The settlement stipulated that the defendants agreed to not engage in these activities but did not admit guilt to any of the allegations. -
The University of Mississippi
James Meredith is the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. His enrollment enraged Mississippi racists and encited riots. The military was sent to the college to contain the riots and to ensure federal policies were followed. -
Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King Jr. is jailed during anti-segregation protests in Birmingham, Alabama. He writes is famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," which advocated the refusal to follow immoral laws. -
March on Washington
Around 200,000 people joined together at the Mall in Washington D.C., where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. -
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
Four young girls are murdered when a bomb explodes at their church. The church had been used for Civil Rights meetings. Riots erupted throughout Birmingham, inciting more violence and death. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment to the Constitution eliminated poll taxes for voting purposes. -
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Cornell Students
Activists from Cornell University came to Fayette County to aid in the struggle. They worked to encourage citizens to register to vote. They taught civic engagement lessons and helped monitor the November election. -
Freedom Summer
Civil Rights Workers from SNCC, CORE, and the NAACP descended on Mississippi to register black voters. Three workers, two white and one black, were arressted on speeding charges and later released into the hands of the KKK. They were murdered and their bodies were dumped into a dam. Because of a state coverup, no one was ever charged with murder. This was just one example of the violence in the area during Freedom Summer, which succesfully registered thousands of Mississippians to vote. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is enacted, extending the ban on segregation and racial inequality to places of employment and of public accomodation. The law sparked more sit-ins and demonstrations by black citizens, wanting the law to be followed by the establishments in the South. -
Martin Luther King Jr. wins Nobel Peace Prize
Martin Luther King Jr. wins the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violence teachings and work in the Civil Rights Movement. He donated his winnings to the movement. -
Bloody Sunday
Police violence erupts against marchers in Alabama. This moment is thought to be the catalyst that pushed through the Voting Rights Act. -
McFerren v. Fayette County Board of Education
A lawsuit, brought by the McFerrens and thirteen other parents, set the desegregation policies for Fayette County Schools. The ruling would be later upheld by the Court of Appeals. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended discriminatory practices at polling locations, such as literacy tests, and required that polling locations offer services in a variety of languages. It also stipulated that states with a history of discriminatory voting practices would need to seek permission before altering voting regulations. This section of the Act was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. -
Affirmative Action
President Lyndon Johnson signs Executive Order 11246, which requires government contractors to take affirmative action toward prospective minority employees in all aspects of hiring and employment. -
Fayette County Quarterly Court
The first black citizens were elected to the Fayette County Quarterly Court, the governing body for the county. These citizens had difficulty in effecting real change at the beginning because the white citizens thwarted their attempts at making a difference. It was still a monumental event and the culmination of the hard fight for voting equality. -
Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
Swann v. Board upheld bussing as a legitimate means for achieving desegregation. -
Loving v. Virginia
Supreme Court rules that states have no right to outlaw interracial marriages. Sixteen states had laws prohibiting the practice at the time of the law's passage. -
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall becomes the first black American to be appointed to the Supreme Court. -
Martin Luther King Assassinated
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorainne Motel in Memphis, Tn. James Early Ray was convicted of the crime. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
This act prohibited discriminatory practices in the housing market.